1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to pet care, specifically an improved method for the separation of animal waste from litter.
2. Description of Prior Art
This invention relates to a cat box accessory which functions to separate waste from a mass of cat litter. There are a number of commercially available apparatus of which the inventor is aware that are intended to permit the separation of waste from a mass of litter. Known designs seem to divide themselves into simple hand held scoops and complex mechanical devices.
The former is characterized by the scoop marketed by Four Paws Products Ltd. U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,627 inventor: Simon Allen (US). This device is a shovel like slotted scoop which is passed through the litter to remove the clumped waste. The problems with the scoop are that it is difficult to locate the buried waste, the intimate contact of the scoop operator with same, the almost inevitable spillage of same in the process of transfer to another container for disposal, and the potential for breathing the dust which is generated by the by the digging and sifting process which is intrinsic to this method.
The designs involving somewhat complex mechanical design and construction run the gamut of mechanical principals.
For example: U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,530 Inventors: Zamoyski Mark (US) calls for a mechanism utilizing sprockets and chains which allow a blade basket mechanism to be drawn through the litter.
Another design: U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,388 Inventors: Mc Daniel Brian (US) incorporates an electric motor to drive a scoop mounted on rails which removes waste from the litter.
Yet other apparatus: U.S. Pat. No. 4,327,667 Inventors: Bilak Richard C (US) incorporates a spring loaded, lever operated, trap door to dump the litter through an angled screening device to separate the clumped waste from the litter.
The complex nature of the heretofore mentioned litter separators renders them expensive to manufacture and accordingly unattractively priced to potential buyers.
The present invention overcomes the above drawbacks by providing a litter separation assembly which is very simple in structure. In its simplicity, the present invention achieves efficient separation of waste from a mass of litter without the need of handling the waste except to pour it into the trash or other means of disposal. No prior art has been found directly germane to this invention.